KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UMKC men’s basketball team (7-19, 2-7 WAC) used a strong performance at the free throw line to secure the 74-67 victory over the visiting Seattle U Redhawks (16-9, 5-3 WAC) to open its three-game home set.

It was a back-and-forth battle to start the game. Sophomore Jordan Giles opened scoring to start the game for the Roos, as the forward had six early points for UMKC going into the media break.

Bishop hit his second 3-pointer of the game approaching the midway point of the half to help UMKC hold the one-point advantage over the visiting Redhawks. The Roos continued to remain perfect at the free throw line early on, going 8-for-8 at the charity stripe.

A trey from Isaiah Ross ended a scoring drought of nearly three minutes, as the Roos forced a turnover at the other end. A jumper by Aleer Leek, and a 3-pointer from Giles, helped UMKC go ahead by five.

UMKC’s offensive momentum continued, as the Roos went on a 12-1 surge over the span of three minutes, and entered the locker room on an 18-3 run, holding Seattle U to just three points at the free throw line.

After the first 20 minutes of action, all seven Roos that saw playing time in the first half had points on the board, as UMKC was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.

Coming out of the locker room, Seattle U scored nine points, but the Roos continued to push to hold the nine-point lead at the first break of the second half. With a hand in his face, Bishop hit his third trey of the game to put UMKC back out in front by double digits.

The Roos continued to stand firm on the defensive end, holding the Seattle U without a point for three minutes until a Redhawks converted a pair at the free throw line. On the offensive side of the ball, Giles continued to take it to the rim, finishing the three-point play to lead all scorers on the floor with 18 points.

The defense didn’t stop for UMKC, holding Seattle U without a field goal for nearly seven minutes while sitting with a double-digit lead over the Redhawks. Seattle U’s field goal – a 3-pointer – came at the five-minute mark, to cut into UMKC’s lead and give the Redhawks some momentum.

A pair of free throws by Bishop pushed the Roos back out by double digits with just under four minutes to play. The Roos never lost their lead to snag the 74-67 victory over the Redhawks.

UMKC outrebounded Seattle U, 35-32, making it the first time this season that the Roos had outrebounded their opponent. Giles had his first block of the game, and grabbed the rebound, for his first career double-double, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the team.

The Roos will close out their 2018 home slate against Utah Valley on Saturday and Chicago State next Thursday.